Accounts Payable Associate

Valarian: Innovating for the new era of digital sovereignty Valarian Technologies is a dual-use technology company building critical tools to safeguard the future in an era of evolving global security challenges. We're rethinking security beyond traditional military domains, addressing asymmetric threats that impact our technological advantage, economic strength, and democratic institutions.   We build Acra – the platform foundation for everything we do as a dual-use technology company. The platform’s name, rooted in the Greek word for citadel (or, fortress), reflects the design and purpose of our infrastructure-agnostic secure enclaves: protecting critical data. Some of the government and commercial workflows include: increased operational resiliency for mission-critical systems and functions; enabling organisations to more quickly and widely adopt emerging technologies while ensuring the integrity of their intellectual property; information flow during disaster response scenarios, and zero-trust / least-privilege environments for M&A, attorney-client privileged communications, etc. And we’ve only scratched the surface.   At our core, we're driven by a shared mission and a belief in making a tangible impact on our world. Whether you join our London HQ or the wider global organisation, you’ll be a part of collaborative, high-performing teams, creating cutting-edge software, platforms, and infrastructure. The Role   We are looking for a hands-on Assistant Accountant to join our growing finance team as our second finance hire. This is a broad, high-ownership role in an early-stage business where the finance function is still being built. You will support the day-to-day running of finance while helping introduce better controls, clearer processes, stronger accountability, and more reliable reporting. This role is ideal for someone who enjoys operating in a fast-moving environment, is comfortable with ambiguity, and wants to help build the finance foundations of a scaling company. This is not a narrow transactional finance role. You will be expected to roll up your sleeves, keep the basics running, spot issues, improve processes, and help create discipline across the business.   What you’ll do Finance operations Own day-to-day accounts payable, including supplier onboarding, invoice processing, coding, approval tracking, payment runs, and supplier queries. Support accounts receivable, including customer invoicing, payment tracking, reconciliations, and debt follow-up where needed. Manage employee expenses and company card processes, ensuring spend is correctly coded, approved, and supported by receipts. Maintain accurate finance records in the accounting system and ensure transactions are posted on a timely basis. Perform regular bank reconciliations and investigate unreconciled or unusual items. Help maintain clean supplier, customer, and general ledger data. Month-end and reporting Support the month-end close process, including journals, accruals, prepayments, fixed assets, deferred revenue, and balance sheet reconciliations. Help prepare monthly finance packs, management reports, and variance analysis. Track spend by department, vendor, and budget owner, highlighting unusual movements or missing approvals. Support cash flow tracking, burn analysis, and runway reporting. Help improve the accuracy, consistency, and timeliness of financial reporting. Controls, processes, and accountability Help design and embed basic finance controls across purchasing, approvals, payments, expenses, billing, and reconciliations. Create and maintain simple, practical finance processes, checklists, and documentation. Follow up with budget owners and employees to ensure finance deadlines, approvals, and policies are met. Identify process gaps, control weaknesses, duplicated work, and recurring errors, then help fix them. Support the implementation or improvement of finance tools, workflows, and reporting processes. Help establish a culture where financial ownership, documentation, and accountability are taken seriously. Compliance and admin Support VAT, tax, payroll, audit, and statutory reporting processes as required. Assist with preparation for investor reporting, board packs, R&D claims, or other external reporting where relevant. Maintain organised finance records and supporting documentation. Work with external accountants, auditors, payroll providers, and tax advisers as needed. What you’ll bring 2–4 years of experience in finance, accounting, bookkeeping, or finance operations. Experience in a startup, scale-up, or fast-moving environment is highly desirable. A good understanding of accounting principles and a willingness to develop knowledge across areas such as accounts payable, accounts receivable, reconciliations, month-end, and financial reporting. Part-qualified ACCA, CIMA, ACA, or equivalent experience preferred. Comfortable working in an environment where processes are not yet perfect and where you will need to help build them. Strong attention to detail and a high level of personal accountability. Confident following up with people across the business to get approvals, receipts, explanations, and actions completed. Able to prioritise competing tasks and keep finance operations moving without constant supervision. Good Excel / Google Sheets skills. Experience with accounting systems such as Xero or similar. Experience with tools such as Pleo, Spendesk, Dext, HubSpot, or similar is a plus. The kind of person who will succeed here You are organised, reliable, and proactive. You do not wait for perfect instructions before getting started. You are comfortable asking questions, chasing people, and bringing order to messy situations. You care about accuracy, but you are also pragmatic and understand that growing businesses require pace, judgement, and continuous improvement. You will enjoy this role if you like fixing broken processes, making finance run more smoothly, and seeing the direct impact of your work on how the company operates. What success looks like in the first 6 months Supplier invoices, expenses, payments, and reconciliations are processed accurately and on time. Month-end close is more structured, better documented, and completed faster. Core balance sheet reconciliations are reliable and regularly reviewed. Spend approvals, expense policies, and payment controls are clearer and better followed. Finance data is cleaner, easier to trust, and easier to report from. Budget owners understand what finance needs from them and are held accountable to deadlines. Recurring manual work, control gaps, and process failures have been identified and improved. The operational finance engine is running more reliably, allowing for strategic finance, reporting, planning, and supporting the wider business. Why join us This is an opportunity to join an ambitious, growing business and play a key role in building the finance function. You will get broad exposure, real responsibility, ongoing development, and the chance to grow your career while helping shape how finance supports the wider business. Benefits Our benefits are designed to ensure our employees feel taken care of and are proud to be a part of the Valarian team. We are committed to consistently enhancing our benefit package, taking into account the overall well-being and needs of our teammates. Here are the key benefits accessible to all employees at Valarian Technologies: Equity – because you have the right to own what you’re building A competitive salary – because we value your unique skills Employer pension contributions – because you deserve a secure future Private health insurance - because your health is important to us Hybrid work setup – because everyone has different needs Rewarding company retreats and meetups that respect your work/life balance – because we love getting to know each other! Life at Valarian Our culture is built on inclusivity, compassion and flexibility – we want everyone to be empowered to achieve their goals at Valarian. The world is changing, and so is our way of working. If you want to join us in the London office – it’s quite nice! – you’re welcome to; and if you’d prefer to work remotely, that’s fine too. And as we build elegant solutions to simplify the complexities of business collaboration, we also simplify work life: contribute wherever and whenever allows you to be your best self. We trust each other to consistently raise the bar, and we challenge each other to continually reach new heights.

Improbable is a venture builder and technology company creating and scaling businesses in Web3, blockchain, and decentralised infrastructure. We build companies from the ground up and invest in ventures shaping the next generation of the internet. We are developing next-generation networked and decentralised systems that power digital assets, open networks, and Web3-native economies. Over the past decade, we’ve evolved into a global leader in venture building and blockchain-enabled infrastructure, enabling creators, brands, and communities to build and scale decentralised products at global scale. At Improbable, we’re motivated by solving hard, meaningful problems, building technology that is ambitious, durable, and transformative. We are seeking an experienced and highly organised Finance Operations Manager to provide maternity cover within our Finance team. This role will focus on ensuring the smooth running of Improbable’s core finance operations, including Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, payment runs, bank reconciliations, month-end activities, and finance systems administration. The successful candidate will work closely with stakeholders across Finance, People, Legal, and Operations. Alongside day-to-day ownership, we are looking for someone who can bring structure, curiosity, and a continuous improvement mindset; identifying opportunities to streamline manual processes, automate recurring tasks where possible, and play a key part in embedding new tools such as ZIP across our finance workflows. THE OPPORTUNITY ACCOUNTS PAYABLE * Oversee the Accounts Payable process, ensuring invoices are processed accurately and suppliers are paid on time. * Approve supplier payment runs in line with internal approval policies. * Manage appropriate liquidity across the different entity bank accounts ahead of each payment run, coordinating with the FC and VP of Finance to ensure supplier payments, intercompany settlements, and other operational payment obligations can be made on time.. * Act as an escalation point for payment queries and build effective relationships with suppliers and internal stakeholders. * Actively support the onboarding and adoption of ZIP, the company's new procure-to-pay automation platform, working with Procurement and Finance stakeholders on process design, testing, user adoption, and post-go-live optimisation to drive further efficiency improvements and embed the system across AP workflows. ACCOUNTS RECEIVABLE * Oversee the Accounts Receivable process, ensuring customer billing is accurate, timely and appropriately documented. * Monitor aged debtors balances, support collections activity, and act as an escalation point for overdue accounts. * Identify opportunities to simplify billing, reconciliation, and intercompany settlement processes. * Reconcile intercompany accounts and support the regular settlement of open balances. MONTH-END/YEAR-END CLOSE PROCEDURES * Review and sign off month-end close activities across AP, AR and bank reconciliations, and related balance sheet accounts, working with the team to identify bottlenecks and improve the close quality and timelines. * Prepare and review balance sheet reconciliations for AP and AR related accounts, investigate and resolve reconciling items in a timely manner. * Ensure financial records remain complete, accurate, and audit-ready. SYSTEMS AND PROCESS IMPROVEMENT * Act as a key administrator and super-user for finance systems and associated workflows, including NetSuite, Expensify, Spendesk and ZIP. * Create, improve and maintain process documentation and standard operating procedures. * Identify manual, repetitive, or control-sensitive processes that could be streamlined or automated. * Work with Finance and cross-functional stakeholders to implement practical improvements that reduce errors, improve visibility, and save time. * Drive continuous improvement initiatives across finance operations using existing tools and AI-enabled workflows to improve data quality, reporting, reconciliations and documentation. WHY YOU’RE MADE FOR THIS * You have 3+ years’ experience managing AP and AR in a fast-paced, multi-entity environment. * You are comfortable managing a small team of 2 and overseeing transactional data across multiple currencies, entities, and bank accounts (experience with cryptocurrency payments is a bonus but not required). * You have a strong understanding of accounting principles, enabling you to assess the accounting impact of finance operations activities across Accounts Payable, Accounts Receivable, and cash-related transactions. Bonus points if you're ACA, ACCA, or CIMA qualified, part-qualified, or currently studying towards a professional qualification. * You are an advanced Excel or Google Sheets user and have experience working with finance systems; NetSuite experience is a plus. * You have a track record of improving finance operations processes, whether through better documentation, stronger controls, automation, or smarter use of systems; not just maintaining them. * You are comfortable using AI and automation tools to reduce manual work, interrogate data, draft documentation, or improve repeatable workflows. You can operate in ambiguity, manage shifting priorities, and bring structure and clarity to incomplete information. * You communicate clearly, manage stakeholders well, and know when to escalate. * You are highly organised, ownership driven, and comfortable keeping critical processes running without close supervision. * You are curious, collaborative, and always looking for a better way to do things. Improbable Candidate Privacy Policy